(1997) dir. Leon Gast; 89 min.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2nd @ 7 & 9:30pm
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd @ 7 & 9:30pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4th @ 3pm
Once called “the Elvis of sport,” Muhammad Ali was a crossover pioneer who forced the public to rethink its view of his form of entertainment. Muhammad Ali was, and is, in many ways the king of the ring, a man so charming and powerful and poetic that his opponents couldn't help be intimidated by his unflinching poise. In this compelling documentary, Leon Gast details the peak of Ali's fighting career, set around the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the 1974 fight with George Foreman in Zaire. That country's dictator, Mobutu Sose Seko, had laid out $10 million of his country's puny resources to play host to the fight and a festival of African and Afro-American music. Though the film is considerably absorbing in content, Ali owns the film hands down, as Gast manages to capture not only the sport of boxing, but also the soul of the man.
